Country profile - Nepal

Page Content

Nepal is a country undergoing political change and the 2013 election was an important step toward the development of a democratic Nepal. Nepal’s main economic activities are agriculture, manufacturing and craft-based industry and services. Nepal’s economic development has been adversely affected by the uncertainty associated with political transition and focus on the attainment of peace. As a consequence, much of Nepal’s social services and infrastructure remains underdeveloped. The Nepalese economy is reliant on foreign aid and remittances, which in 2014, are estimated to have contributed up to a quarter of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

Australia-Nepal relations have primarily been built on the provision of development assistance, tourism and education services. Nepal’s GDP per capita was approximately one-twentieth of Australia’s on a purchasing power parity basis as at 2014. Almost half of the working-age population are unemployed or underemployed. Better economic and employment prospects in countries such as Australia therefore provide strong incentives for Nepalese emigration.

Population

At the end of June 2014, 36,940 Nepalese−born people were living in Australia, more than seven times than at 30 June 2006. This is 0.6 per cent of Australia’s overseas-born population and 0.2 per cent of Australia’s total population.

For Australia’s Nepalese-born migrants:

The median age of 28.6 years was 8.8 years less than that of the general population.

Males outnumbered females—56 per cent compared with 44 per cent.

Permanent migration

Australia’s permanent Migration Programme incorporates economic and family reunion migration and is the main pathway to permanent residence. The only other way for migrants to obtain permanent residence is to be accepted into Australia on humanitarian grounds. The Migration Programme is based on non-discriminatory principles relating to nationality, gender and religion. People who meet the criteria set out in the
Migration Act 1958 can apply to migrate.

Permanent migration refers to the number of outcomes in any given year, without taking into account whether the visa recipient actually arrived and settled in Australia. Skilled migration focuses on facilitating the permanent entry of those who can make a positive contribution to Australia through their skills, qualifications, entrepreneurial spirit and employment potential. Family migration facilitates the entry of close family members of Australian citizens, permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens. The programme is currently dominated by partners and dependent children, but also provides options for other family members, such as Carers, Parents and Aged Dependent Relatives.

The following table shows the size and composition of the skilled and family migration categories from 2011–12 to 2014–15.

Migration category

2011–12

2012–13

2013–14

2014–15

Per cent change on previous year

Per cent changefor the period

Skilled migration (points tested)

Skilled Regional

249

316

181

66

-63.5

-73.5

Skilled Independent

818

1,635

1,680

825

-50.9

0.9

State/Territory Nominated

198

516

1,085

1,394

28.5

> 200.0

Skilled migration (non-points tested)

Business Innovation and Investment

< 5

< 5

< 5

0

-100.0

-100.0

Distinguished Talent

0

0

0

0

n/a

n/a

Employer Sponsored

803

1,113

798

1,164

45.9

45.0

Total: Skilled visa grants

2,069

3,581

3,748

3,449

-8.0

66.7

Skilled visas as a proportion of all permanent visas (%)

83.7

87.2

85.9

83.5

n/a

n/a

Family migration

Child

35

53

46

35

-23.9

0.0

Partner

336

447

529

624

18.0

85.7

Parent

26

22

34

22

-35.3

-15.4

Other Family

< 5

0

< 5

0

-100.0

-100.0

Total: Family visa grants

399

522

610

681

11.6

70.7

Family visas as a proportion of all permanent visas (%)

16.1

12.7

14.0

16.5

n/a

n/a

Special Eligibility

< 5

< 5

6

0

-100.0

-100.0

Total: Permanent migrants

2,472

4,107

4,364

4,130

-5.4

67.1

Temporary migration

Depending on the purpose and duration of their visit, people can come to Australia on a Visitor visa, or through an other appropriate temporary visa. Temporary visas are designed for specific purposes, for example, study, working holidays or other specialist activities. Temporary residents are required to pay taxes on income earned in Australia and do not normally have access to public welfare and might not have access to public health programmes.

The Student visa programme consists of a range of visa categories that broadly correspond to education sectors. Students must study with an education provider and in a course registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students. The subclass 457 visa programme allows Australian employers to sponsor foreign workers for employment in management, professional, technical and skilled trades’ positions. The programme is demand-driven and highly responsive to Australian labour market conditions. Visitor visas are mostly used by people visiting Australia for holidays, recreation, or to see family and friends. People may also use Visitor visas for certain short-term business activities.

The following table shows the size and composition of the Student visa programme, Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) and Visitors from Nepal.

Temporary visa category

2011–12

2012–13

2013–14

2014–15

Per cent change on previous year

Per cent change for the period

International Students

English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students

107

109

92

53

-42.4

-50.5

Schools

11

7

5

13

160.0

18.2

Vocational Education and Training

2,337

1,378

1,007

849

-15.7

-63.7

Higher Education

4,202

5,387

9,239

7,795

-15.6

85.5

Postgraduate Research

114

127

170

133

-21.8

16.7

Non-Award

< 5

< 5

< 5

< 5

33.3

33.3

Foreign Affairs or Defence

66

100

135

140

3.7

112.1

Total: International Student visa grants

6,840

7,112

10,651

8,987

-15.6

31.4

Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457)

908

1,893

1,928

1,663

-13.7

83.1

Visitors

Tourist

3,363

4,743

6,838

8,163

19.4

142.7

Business visitor

534

787

513

465

-9.4

-12.9

Medical Treatment

0

< 5

6

6

0.0

n/a

Total: Visitor visa grants

3,897

5,533

7,357

8,634

17.4

121.6

Main occupations

There are a wide variety of occupations that potential migrants can nominate for, which are acceptable for permanent and temporary skilled migration to Australia. The following table shows the main occupations for Nepalese nationals for Points Tested Skilled Migration outcomes and Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) grants.

Period

Temporary Work(Skilled) visa(subclass 457)

No. of migrants

Points Tested Skilled Migration

No. of migrants

2014–15

Cooks

310

Accountants

518

Chefs

155

Auditors, company secretaries and corporate treasurers

158

Cafe and restaurant managers

53

Registered nurses

150

Bakers and pastrycooks

35

Software and applications programmers

55

Accountants

27

Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists

52

Registered nurses

17

ICT business and systems analysts

41

Contract, program and project administrators

17

Civil engineering professionals

37

Hairdressers

13

Cooks

32

Advertising and marketing professionals

9

ICT managers

24

Call or contact centre and customer service managers

7

Computer network professionals

17

2013–14

Cooks

339

Cooks

499

Chefs

194

Accountants

481

Cafe and restaurant managers

78

Registered nurses

243

Bakers and pastrycooks

39

Software and applications programmers

73

Call or contact centre and customer service managers

27

Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists

56

Accountants

27

Welfare, recreation and community arts workers

46

Registered nurses

21

Hairdressers

33

Hairdressers

17

ICT business and systems analysts

27

Contract, program and project administrators

16

Civil engineering professionals

25

Advertising and marketing professionals

9

Computer network professionals

25

2012–13

Cooks

425

Cooks

477

Chefs

154

Accountants

390

Cafe and restaurant managers

59

Registered nurses

160

Registered nurses

53

Software and applications programmers

63

Call or contact centre and customer service managers

45

ICT business and systems analysts

57

Bakers and pastrycooks

38

Welfare, recreation and community arts workers

42

Accountants

37

Hairdressers

37

Contract, program and project administrators

36

Civil engineering professionals

16

Hairdressers

22

Database and systems administrators, and ICT security specialists

14

Hotel and motel managers

10

Bakers and pastrycooks

8

2011–12

Cooks

204

Accountants

257

Registered nurses

83

Cooks

109

Chefs

79

Software and applications programmers

100

Bakers and pastrycooks

26

Registered nurses

84

Contract, program and project administrators

13

ICT business and systems analysts

77

Cafe and restaurant managers

10

Welfare, recreation and community arts workers

23

Hairdressers

10

Civil engineering professionals

18

General practitioners and resident medical officers

10

Electronics engineers

12

Accountants

7

Hairdressers

8

University lecturers and tutors

< 5

Electrical engineers

7

Geographic distribution

The following table shows the geographic distribution of migrants, based on permanent additions, international students, Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) and permanent departures.

Permanent additions are the sum of those granted a permanent residency visa while in Australia, and those granted a visa through an Australian mission abroad, who have entered Australia during the respective reporting period.

Population (%)

NSW

Vic.

Qld

SA

WA

Tas.

NT

ACT

Proportion of all persons counted in the Census - 2011

32

25

20

7

10

2

1

2

Proportion of Nepal-born counted in the Census - 2011

62

17

9

4

4

1

1

1

Permanent additions - 2014–15 (%)

Skill stream (primary)

58

15

7

7

9

1

2

1

Skill stream (dependent)

53

12

8

7

13

0

5

2

Family stream

61

18

10

3

4

1

2

2

Temporary entrants - 2014–15 (%)

International students

58

19

9

2

4

3

2

1

Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) (primary)

53

26

10

1

7

0

2

1

Permanent departures (%)

All Nepal-born permanent residents

48

16

24

4

4

0

0

4

Country ranking

This table uses rankings to show the significance of Nepalese migration for the past four financial years.​